1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a personal video recorder (PVR). More particularly, the present invention concerns an apparatus and a method for managing data stored in a PVR.
2. Description of the Background Art
PVRs are growing in popularity. A PVR may be integrated into a television, but more typically, the PVR is provided in a dedicated set top box, such as a cable signal decoder box or a satellite signal decoder box. The PVR allows a person to record programming. Usually, the programming is recorded in a digital format on a hard drive within the PVR. However, it is envisioned that a PVR could also record in formats other than digital (e.g. an analog format) and/or could employ other memory devices than a hard drive (e.g. a rewriteable optical drive or a RAM).
In a well-know manner, the PVR can be used to pause a currently broadcast program to record a desired program while simultaneously viewing another program, and can be set to record a future program. Also, a PVR can be used to stored video conferences for business purposes, and to store music (e.g. to record a compilation of music or songs from a connected compact disc player).
The PVRs of the background art have memories which can store approximately eighty hours of standard definition video programming. Of course, PVR technology is improving and one of the improvements involves an increased memory size, so that more programs can be stored on the PVR and/or high definition programs can be stored (e.g. HDTV).
The PVRs of the background art have a menu or listing which lists the titles of the programs stored in the memory. The menus may also list some additional information which was received along with the broadcast signal at the time of recording (e.g. genre information, recording time, original air date and time).
With potentially eighty or more hours of programming stored on a PVR, and with potentially several users (e.g. family members, roommates) utilizing a PVR, there is a need for an improved organization menu to access the programming data and/or to associate control over the stored programs with certain users. Further, there is a need for an organization menu which will allow viewing restrictions to be imposed on younger viewers. Further, there is a need for an organization menu which will allow better user settable controls concerning such parameters as an overwriting ability of the PVR relative to certain stored programs.
For example, the PVRs of the background art allow stored programs to be overwritten at the discretion of the present user. This can lead to problems. Sometimes the present user will overwrite a stored program of another user, without the permission of the other user. For instances, a child might overwrite a news broadcast stored by a parent, before the parent had the chance to view the stored news broadcast.
An example of another drawback occurs when an adult user stores programming with adult content on the PVR (e.g. an R rated movie). The PVR menus of the background art make no provision to limit the viewing of such programs by younger users of the PVR. Further, the PVR menus of the background art make no provision to hide the titles of such programs in the menu or listing of programs stored on the PVR.